Vulcans Dont have Snooze buttons
by chaini
Summary: Spock has an interesting problem with his new roommate, Cain. Cain cant wake up in the morning. Spock thinks he has a solution. A humorus story about Spocks younger years in the academy.


Vulcan's Don't Have Snooze Buttons

Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep. The loud screeching sound of an alarm clock rang out like a dieing predator, penetrating the quiet of Spock's quarters in the Starfleet Academe in the early morning hours. Opening his warm brown eyes, Spock turned slightly on his bunk to glance at his own clock sitting on the standard nightstand beside his bunk. Blood red numbers stated 03:00 hours. Spock suppressed the urge to groan. _Class does not begin for another four hours. _ Sitting up in his bunk, Spock scanned the room for the source of the offending sound. Spock's eyes locked on the closed door of his roommate quarters a few feet from him and his eyebrow twitched upwards. The annoying ringing was emanating from there. Spock stared at it for a moment._ Cain does not seem to be the kind to awake early. _In fact, Spock could not recall any morning within the short two week span that he had lived with Cain that the boy rose before noon. But today was the first day of classes for the academy and it is rare that a student manages to obtain a class schedule that does not include at lease one morning class. Classes in general do not begin till seven at the earliest but it was completely possible that his room mate had things he still needed to straightened out before then.

Satisfied with this explanation, Spock lay back down trying to ignore the screeching of the alarm clock. He silently wondered what would posses humans to make such a loud pitched device when a more melodic sound would do just as well, but decided it was just another one of the strange quarks he would never understand. _No matter, the sound will soon fade. _Focusing his attention on the ceiling, Spock patiently waited for the sound to cease. _I will have to remember to ask Cain about his class schedule to avoid future confusion._ Spock noted mentally. 

Despite the fact that he had lived with Cain for the past two weeks, Spock had not interacted much with his new roommate. In face when he had first arranged his housing for the academe, he was under the impression that he would not have a roommate at all. When searching for housing, Spock decided to look for something off campus rather then remain in the crowded setting of the academy dormitory. Upon investigating, he discovered that living somewhere off campus was not permitted. However, alternate forms of housing available. For months, Spock researched these options intensely through a series of messages with the places landlords due to trouble booking passage to earth that prevented viewing the housings in person but had been largely unsuccessful. Finally about two weeks before he was scheduled to start classes, he managed to find one he though would suit him. The place described was more like an apartment then just the standard one room setup of the onsite dorm. He was told that it contained a small kitchen a living room and a bathroom and was just within the distance boundaries to be considered housing. Spock asked the landlord of the property several times if he would have a room mate and each time was told that he wouldn't. Finally, satisfied that the apartment suited his needs, Spock paid for the year in full and prepared for his shuttle to earth.

Upon arrival, he headed strait to the address to the apartment only to find a boy his age standing at the doorstep, his hands filled with boxes. Spock wasted no time contacting the landlord to "discuss" the misunderstanding. Turns out the landlord did not lie exactly. Technically, he would not be sharing a bedroom with the young man standing at the doorstep who introduced himself as Cain. Cain would be rooming in a separate bedroom adjacent to Spock's. The tiny apartment's bathroom, kitchen, and living room however would belong to both. Though this situation was far from what Spock would have preferred, the down payment was made and being a few short weeks from the start of the next semester of classes every housing situation besides the standard two people to a room dorms have been booked for at least a year. Spock decided, logically, his best option would be to remain for the time being.

The first week of the arrangement went surprising smooth . After both Spock and Cain got over the initial surprise of the housing situation, both managed to settle in after which they both went off their to own separate interest. While Spock spent most his time either exploring the cities many intellectual delights, Cain chose to explore the social clubs and other recreational hotspots. Their paths rarely crossed. Spock would usually return to the apartment early to meditate before evening meal after which he would dedicate a few hours to his philosophy studies before retiring for the night. Cain usually would not return to the apartment till one or two in the morning.

The only time that the two's paths truly intersected was late morning around noon. During midday, Spock preferred to return to the apartment for a short rest before meditation and evening meal. Around noon he had the habit of enjoying a cup of herbal tea before going on to his studies. This was also about the time that Cain would awake from his late night out. The first thing his roommate usually did upon awaken is to get a cup of coffee. Mugs in hand, Spock would sit at the pairs small wooden table while Cain would lounge against the counter and both would engage in some civil chit chat while they sipped their drinks. The talk was never personal. Mostly the usual small talk topics, the weather, politics, and other mundane topics, nothing to deep or in-depth. Spock had discovered early on that his roommate did not pay enough attention to the finer and underlining issues in politics to engage in a in-depth analytical discussion. Cain's interest ran more along the lines of popular arts and social activities. Neither youths cared to discuss personal topics such as family and friends. Still despite the vast differences Spock and Cain still managed to coexist peacefully. Though Spock was not prepared for a roommate, he adapted well. He had to make some sacrifices of course, one being the using incense during meditation due to Cain's allergies, but nothing major. Cain tried his best to adapt too. Though he was messy by nature, Cain made a honest effort to clean up after himself, made sure his music was at a reasonable level the few times he was home and when he came home attempted to be silent to in order to avoid waking Spock. The attempt usually failed, but Spock appreciated his effort. Seeing how hard the boy seemed to be trying to make his life comfortable, Spock was lenient and respected the many differences between Cain and himself. But even the iron patience and understanding of a Vulcan can reach its limit. And after twenty long minutes of continuously deafening screeching of the alarm clock within Cain's room, Spock had reached his.

Sitting up once again in his bunk, Spock picked up his clock and examined it. 3:30. By this time the steady throbbing of a head ache began to creep into his temples. _How could humans sleep through that sound?_ He thought, resisting the urge to plug his ringing ears. Spock glared at the door, his mind to cluttered by the ringing bell to notice the slip. Unable to stand it any longer, he rose gracefully from his bunk and approached his roommate's door. _Maybe if I knock he will shut it off. _Spock mused before approaching the door. He reached out to knock on it gently. "Cain?" he called out just loud enough to be heard over the screeching device. Nothing. The alarm continued to emit. Detecting no sounds of movement in the room, Spock knocked again. This time louder. "Cain!" he called. Minutes passed. Still no response. The alarm continued to blare.

_Surely he would have heard me that time. _Spock thought, coming very close to frowning. Then a dark thought crept into Spock's mind. _Could it be possible Cain had fallen ill. So ill that he is now unable to answer? _Hesitating for a moment, Spock reached out to try the doorknob. Locked. _Now what? _Spock wondered. The alarm clock did not appear to be going to stop without being turned off and his roommate was not responding. The door barred him from entering and he had no way of knowing whether or not Cain was ok. _I could take the door of the hinges. _Spock mused. _I do have the proper tools. But considering Cain's active social life that may not be wise. _Spock could not begin to imagine the type of conflict that breaking into Cain's room only to find that the reason he did not answer was due to the fact he had a visitor from the previous night would bring. Sitting on the edge of his bunch, Spock tried to focus his mind , block out the blaring sound of the alarm and approach this problem logically.

He had no evidence suggesting Cain would be in any kind of distress. As far as Spock knew Cain suffered from no medical problems. He heard no sounds to suggest any kind of struggle, and could think of no other excuse to entitle breaking into his roommates room. Since their was now about two hours till classes began their was still a possibility that Cain was ignoring his alarm. Spock decided that the only logical thing to do was to wait it out. If the alarm continued to ring when he woke up for his classes, he would break in and check on him. Satisfied, Spock forced himself to lay back down on his bunk, fix his gaze to the ceiling, and at least make an attempt to go back to sleep. One hour later, he was still awake, eyes bloodshot, as the alarm clock still screamed through the thin walls. _That's it. Two hours have passed and he hasn't woken up. He must be ill. No sane person in perfect condition could ever ignore that sound for that long. _Rising swiftly from his bed, Spock strode across the room, intent on breaking down the door. When just as he made it half way across the room, a silence fell followed by a groan. Spock froze.

From beyond the door, the sound of bed sheets shifting followed by the soft thunk of feet hitting the floor met Spock's ears. The footsteps thudded softly across the floor shortly followed by the click of a radio being turned on. Soft music filled the apartment. Spock stared incomprehensively at the door. _He was just sleeping._ His mind grasped to wrap around this concept. _I was forced to listen to that horrible noise for two and a half hours and he slept right through it. _Anger rose inside the Vulcan threatening to overcome the strong mental barriers Spock imposed upon his human emotions. _That selfish little .. . _Spock closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and clamped down hard on his emotions, smothering the rising anger. Glancing at his clock, he noted that its 5:30. I should prepare for my classes. Spock thought rubbing his brow in an attempt to sooth the residual ache in his temples. His ears still rang. Grabbing his bag, Spock opened the room to his apartment and skipped into the hall. Shutting the door behind him before he left, he noted that his roommate had yet to leave his room, a thought that annoyed him despite his extreme control.

Once Spock stepped on the campus, he had little time to think about the event of that morning. The whirlwind of classes, mix-ups in schedules, and left over enrollment papers captured the Vulcan's full attention for well into the morning. It was only in his first class of human history that Spock's mind had the chance to mull over the situation. Spock knew the moment that the class had began that the fifty minute lecture program would fail to hold his interest. Immediately after introducing herself, the teacher informal the students that instead of "diving right in" to the material as all the other teacher's had, she would rather get to know her students instead.

After the first five cadets spouted off a ten minute autobiography of how they have dreamed to travel the stars from the moment they could walk, Spock gave up on keeping his mind from wondering. Instead he found himself thinking back to the events of this morning. Obviously something had to be done about that alarm clock. _I do not mind rising early, but that sound. I cannot listen to that sound for two hours each day. _His ears still rang from its loud blaring. There must be another option. _I could wear earplugs to bed. After all I don't use any type of alarm so the lack of hearing would not prevent me from waking at the proper time. _Spock dismissed the idea immediately. He never liked to willingly cut off any of his senses for a prolonged period of time, especially his hearing. _though the chances of fire in a well maintained building like ours is very slim, there is always a small possibility that something could go terribly wrong. No there has to be some other possible solution. _

"Spock?" a voice called out breaking him out of his thoughts. Spock glanced up from his desk which he had been staring at to see the whole class turned his way staring with penetrating eyes. The history instructor gave him a disapproving look. "Please answer the question."

Spock's mind froze. Question? What question? He had been so absorbed in the attempt to work through the situation at the apartment that he must have overlooked a change in the discussion. Meeting the instructor's eyes, Spock scrapped together the last strands of his dignity, squared his shoulders, and sighed softly. "Forgive me, what was the question?" he asked resisting the urge to cringe when a wave of childish giggles rang through the room. The instructor looked at him and frowned.

"I suggest cadet that you pay attention in the future." She said, before turning to the person several seats behind him. "Kikyo, do you know the answer."

A pretty young woman with long black hair sat strait up in her chair. "Cocrin miss."

"Correct." The instructor stated, giving Spock one more pointed look before turning back to the board and beginning to jot down some half organized notes on the projection board. Spock bent down to remove his own status pad from his bag. The lesson was one that he had reviewed years before in his preparation for the academy, but he figured that by copying down the notes again he would have something to keep his attention on the lesson and avoiding making his horrible first impression even worst. Before he touched his pen to the board, he made a mental note to sit down with Cain later tonight to prevent his grade and his dignity from slipping anymore.

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Spock strode up the small spiraling staircase of the apartment as the wooden antique clock in the hall chimed five times to announce the hour. Though he was Vulcan, as he carried his small bag weighed down already with a myriad of assignments and research, a sort of weariness weighted down his shoulders as he walked along the long hallway leading to their apartment. It was a satisfying sort of weariness though, one that comes from working a day towards a goal you have been aiming for for some time.

Finally, Spock came to his own door and pulled out his key. As he inserted it into the door lock, he noted that his roommate was home from the sound of rock music leaking through the sound proof doorframe to seep into the hall. Spock braced himself before turning the knob and the door. Immediately the hall was flooded with the sound of drums, guitars, and electric keyboards. Spock flinched as the loud singing of the lead vocalist struck his ear drum making them throb with pain. Slipping quickly into the apartment, Spock shut the door behind him and dropped his bag in the corner before quickly bringing his hands up to protect his ears. _My earplugs_. He thought. Rummaging though his bag, he pulled out his small black case and opened it. Before he had left home, much to his father's displeasure, his mother had warned him of the many problems and strange customs earthlings had when it came to higher learning. Though drug test are distributed regularly, preventing the use of drugs on campus, sex, alcohol, and endless parties with ear splitting music were still common practices of academy students. Slipping the two black buds into his hears, Spock released a soft sigh of relief before rising to slip off his shoes. _Now that I can think clearly, I should try and find Cain. Should not be hard considering there is only one place in the apartment that has speakers with the ability to play music at that level. _Spock immediately turned towards the living room.

Turning the corner in the tiny foyer, Spock froze and raise an eyebrow at the sight in front of him. He was right about his assumption that the music was emanating from the living room. Spock stared with a mixture of confusion and fascination at his roommate, who was sitting at the small wooded table where he usually drank his tea. The blond haired youth had a status pad sitting in front of him looking as if he was once working on a paper. _He certainly isn't working now. _Spock thought, amused.

Cain seemed unaware of his presents or anyone's presents for that matter. The young boy sat slouched in one of the high back chairs, his eyes glued to the table in fierce concentration not on the status pad but on the very edge of the table where he, armed with a pen in each hand, rapped the wood roughly and out of beat in time with the music. Head bobbing with his long hair flying, Cain hummed the melody of the blaring music as his body swayed to the beat. The mixture of his roommate erratic movements and his muted hearing distracted Spock and for a moment, all the Vulcan could do was stare.

Unfortunately, the music decided to choose this time to cut out. Cain glanced up from his "work" and almost fell out of his chair. "God, Spock you scared the crap out of me." the boy exclaimed, his voice barely loud enough to be heard over the loud music and the dampening effects of the earplugs. "I didn't hear you come in over. . . Damn the music." His roommate suddenly exclaimed scurrying over into the living room. A few seconds later, blessed silence settled across the apartment. Spock reached up cautiously and removed one earplug from his ear, expecting the music to resume. It did not. A minute later his roommate reappeared, "I am so sorry. I didn't know when you would be home so I popped in a cd. I thought I would be able to hear you com in."

Spock reached up to remove his other earplug and begin to put them away. "Nothing to apologize for. You are entitled to listen to your music. As for the confusion in scheduling, I will be sure to make a copy of my schedule and post it up for future reference if you wish." Spock commented off-handishly. Settling the black case on the counter. Spock moved to the stove to set the kettle. "Would you like a cup of tea?" Spock asked politely.

Cain waved the offer away. "Thank, a schedule would help. I'll put a copy of mine up too if you want. Don't think you will need it though. I got all morning classed damn things." Cain replied. Reaching across the table, he picked up the status pad and seemed to stare at it incomprehensively.

Spock raised an eyebrow to his roommates comment, but did not reply. Instead, he moved to the food preserver and ordered a meal he had prepared earlier in preparation for his evening classes. Sticking the tray in the warmer he had brought from home, he took a seat beside Cain to wait for his meal to heat. The two sat in silence for a time, Cain sending uneasy glances at the silent Spock.

"I don't know about you, but I hate getting up early in the morning." Cain continued absentmindedly as he touched the pad buttons. The pad made an angry beeping sound before powering down suddenly provoking a very colorful comment from Cain.

Spock who had rose from his seat to remove a whistling kettle from the stove held out a hand for the status pad which Cain handed over with a confused look on his face. "Yes, I deduced that fact this morning when your alarm clock sounded." _At three in the morning. _Spock added mentally as he examined the status pad in his hands. Opening the back to expose the circuits, Spock tweaked a few causing the pad to hum back to life and open to a blank screen. Spock flipped it back open and began pulling up hidden history files, Cain peering over his shoulder with a mixture of confusion and amazement which turned to guilt at Spock's comment.

"You heard that huh?" Cain asked with a blush. "I didn't think that the walls of this place were that thin. . . Thank you." Cain said with a hint of relief in his voice when the Vulcan handed the pad back with Cain's work waiting on the screen.

"I heard it quite clearly."

Cain flushed a deep scarlet as his look of guilt deepened . "Sorry bet it was loud for you too, crap. I'm sorry. I don't know what else to do. Leaving the alarm clock on is the only think that wakes me up in the morning and that is just barely. I have a lot of trouble getting out of bed." Cain said meekly while carefully saving his work on the status pad and putting it aside. He watched the Vulcan cross the room and remove his meal from the warmer. "Tried everything else I could think of. Nothing works."

Spock looked up to raise an eyebrow at him before picking up his cup of tea and meal and moving to sit across from Cain at the small wooden table. "Perhaps you should try arising after the first time the alarm sounds as to cut back on the length of time it rings." Spock stated dryly

Cain sat up straight and glared at Spock. "Don't you think I've tried that. I always end up dressing halfway before telling myself that I would just sit down on the bed only to wake up an hour later. I almost failed my junior year of high school using that method. No way. They would defiantly not be as tolerant here as they were back then. Had a cadet in one of my morning classes come in late by five minutes. Five. And the professor not only made him leave, she sealed the door behind his so he not only did not get to sit in on the lesson but he could not even listen in on it outside the door. When she finished the lesson she made him come into the front of the class and interrogated him in front of the whole class. She said that a hostile leader of an unknown race will not wait an extra five minutes for negotiations before blowing up a starship so neither would she. Poor guy looked near tears by the time that she was done grilling him." Cain finished leaning in to rest his head on his hand. "Professors here go for the throat."

As he finished his meal of pasta and plomek soup, Spock found himself thinking back to the professor of his early history class. _They do indeed. "_Perhaps the 'snooze' button then? It would allow you to still allow the clock to remain on without the sound to be constant." Spock suggested hesitantly. Though he did not relish the thought of being jarred awake every five to ten minutes by the blaring alarm, but at least the periods between would save his ears from obtaining any permanent damage. Cain shook his head.

"Sorry that don't work either. I keep hitting the snooze button and I would just get annoyed and end up shutting it off. Like I said, I have tried just about everything." Cain responded pulling both elbows on the table and placing his chin in his hands. Studying the Vulcan sitting across the table, Cain cocked his head and asked. "What do you do to make sure you get up at the right time. I don't think I heard any alarm going off. Besides my own though I suppose if you did have an alarm it would be no where near as loud as mine is."

"Vulcan's don't require an alarm clock. We have the ability to keep track of time without the aid of a clock." Spock responded evenly as he calmly finished his tea and rose to head towards the sink to dispose of his dirty kitchen wear. Cain stared at him.

"You mean you just know when its time to wake up? No alarms or nothing." He asked a bit of suspicion creeping into his voice.

"Yes." Spock responded.

"Man, your lucky." Cain whispered. Suddenly, an idea occurred to Spock causing him to pause in his work. Turing around, he faced Cain.

"Perhaps instead of using your alarm clock, I could wake you before I got to my classes. If I remember correctly. I left the apartment long before you this morning. If your classes, like me, begin at roughly the same time. Everyday, then I could wake you when I arise or shortly afterwards, if you prefer. . ." Spock suggested his words trailing off in thought. _This, in theory, could provide the perfect solution. If I wake him every morning, I would no longer have to endure the screeching of his alarm. He in return will earn roughly three more hours of rest. As always logic provides and answer. _Spock thought.

Though Spock was completely satisfied with this solution, Cain on the other hand looked skeptical. "I don't know. What if you sleep in?" Cain asked.

"Since the age of five, I have never owned an alarm clock of any kind nor have I ever 'slept in."

"But doing this would mean I would have to leave my door unlocked. What if you . . . You know, walk in on something?" Cain pointed out a blush rushing to his face.

"I assure you that would not occur." Spock began pausing to determine the most diplomatic way of putting his next statement. Finally he settled on simply saying. "I am always aware when you have a . . . friend over."

Cain's eyes widened and he just stared at Spock for a few moments his mouth agape. Then a brilliant flush colored his face, turning him scarlet as his eyes settled into angry slits. "You listen to us?" he questioned, his voice an angry hiss.

Spock held up his hands in a sign of peace. "Purely unintentionally, I assure you. I attempt to drown out any noise through the use of earplugs, but occasionally . . . You are very vocal." Spock finished quickly. "Perhaps I should invest in a higher quality brand."

Spock had thought his roommate couldn't possibly get any redder then he had turned after his last comment, but his roommate surprised him by flushing so deeply he resembled a tomato. "Um. . . Yeah uh. . . But what if you can't get me up. I man I am pretty heavy sleeper." Cain said, glancing from place to place, too embarrassed to meet Spock's eyes.

Spock pretended not to notice his roommates discomfort. Instead, he simply replied. "I think that I will manage."

Cain nodded. "Ok, if you really think that you can do it. I guess we could give it a try." Cain said a bit of skepticism creeping into his tone. Seconds after he spoke, a knock came on the door. Cain jumped up throwing the status pad roughly onto the counter. "That's Jackie. We are going out to the bar." Cain stated a bid of a flush roaming to his face. No doubt because of Spock's previous comment. "Um. . . Anyway, you can wake me tomorrow I guess, but don't forget or I will kill you."

Spock raised an eyebrow at the comment but let it slide. "I assure you I will not forget." He responded to the retreating youth. Cain nodded before closing the door behind him. Spock watched him go repression a hint of amusement. _This shall be interesting. _

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Spock eyes opened in the dark silence of the apartment in the early morning hours. As awareness slowly started to return, Spock rolled over on his side to glace at the clock sitting on his nightstand. 5:00. Time to get up. Flipping down the warm down blankets off of his body, Spock shivered slightly as the cold air hit him before rising off his bunk. I should awake Cain before I prepare for school. Spock thought glancing over at his roommate's door and rapped hard. "Cain wake up. You have two hours to prepare for school." Spock shouted in his best authorities voice.

Spock listened for any sign of movement within the room, but heard nothing. Spock tried again. "Cain wake up." he shouted again with more volume. No response. _I suppose I should have expected this. He did not respond yesterday when I called through the door. There was no reason for me to expect today to be any different. _Hesitating for a moment, Spock absentmindedly wondered if his roommate remembered to keep his door unlocked. Spock did not want to have to waste the few precious moments he had in the morning removing the doors of the apartment from their hinges. But Cain was true to his word for when Spock turned the doorknob the door yielded, swinging inward. Spock slipped quietly into his roommate's room for the first time for the duration of their stay.

The room was messy, the floor cluttered with pop cans, schoolbooks, and magazines of a nature that made Spock raised his eyebrow. Carefully, Spock picked his way through the mess towards the bed. _I could never understand how humans could live in such disorder_. Spock thought, skirting a plate covered with old pizza crust. His roommate's bed shoved roughly in the corner, Spock picked his way towards it. "Cain?" He called, stumbling slightly on a box sitting in the middle of the room. Spock quickly regained his balance and whirled around to glare at the box for a moment before he realized how illogical he was being. I must start retiring to bed earlier. The lack of sleep must be effecting my mental fatuities. Shaking his head slightly to clear away the distracting thoughts. Spock carefully maneuvered the last remaining feet to his roommate bed.

Cain was laying on his stomach, sprawled across the length of the bed wrapped so tightly in the bed sheets that all Spock could see of him was his golden hair sticking up from under the blankets. Leaning over the bed, Spock called out again. "Cain. . . Cain!!!" Spock said in as loud of a voice as he dare being so close to the boy. Cain did not even stir. Hesitating for a moment, Spock reached out and shook the boy's shoulder gently at first but then harder and harder when his efforts failed to provoke a response. Instead of opening his eyes, Cain just groaned, muttering something incoherently even to Spock's sensitive ears and rolled over to his side. Spock gave him a look of distaste before grabbing him roughly again and shaking him again. "Cain wake up immediately or I will leave you sleeping in." He stated firmly and loudly directly into the shell of the young boys ear. The boy groaned and made a shooing motion in Spock's direction. Unfortunately for Cain, since he was half asleep, his aim was less then perfect. Instead of successfully shooing the Vulcan away, the only thing the boy succeeded to do is to give Spock a solid open palm slap to the face. The Vulcan pulled back in shock and surprise for a moment before giving Cain an icy glare.

"Heavy sleeper indeed." Spock muttered in a tight voice. Stalking away from the bed fully intending to leave the boy to the wrath of his professors, Spock paused for a moment at the doorway to look back. _Don't forget or I'll kill you. _Cain's words echoed in Spock's mind. Spock hesitated before turning back around to stare at his roommate still nestled in the confines of the sheets. _The last thing I need this semester is to negotiate through conflicts with my room mate along with class work. _Squaring his shoulders as if preparing for a war, Spock took a deep breath and turned back into the room. Striding back over to the bed, Spock sighed as he looked down at his roommate and considered his options. _Obviously calling to him does no good , and shaking him is more likely to break bones than wake him up judging by his response earlier. I will have to use some other method. _

Scanning the room, Spock tried to locate something that could help him. When he spotted what appeared to be a gallon bottle half full of what looked like water sitting innocently in the corner of the room, he suddenly remembered an incident that happened when he was rather young. He and his mother had came to visit some of her human relatives during what was summer on earth. Being young and accustomed to the later hours on Vulcan, upon arrival Spock so exhausted that the moment he was shown where he was staying , he plopped down on the bed and fell asleep. Half an hour later he was rudely jarred out of a sound sleep by his mischievous second cousins when they suddenly tossed a glass of ice cold water across his exposed back. He could still recall how quickly he had leaped out of the wet bed and lunged after his screaming cousins, who had dived for cover from the raging five year old Vulcan. His father had scolded him sternly for that. _Their methods might have been childish but they had been effective. But, though I had the maturity to control myself, would Cain have the same peace of mind. _The last thing Spock wanted to do that morning was to treat a black eye or some other similar injury gained by subduing his roommate. _Perhaps there is some simpler option. _Spock thought_. _scanning for any other alternative. His search came up empty. Glancing over to his roommates clock, Spock sighed. 6:00. _I suppose I don't have any other choice_. Spock reached out, hesitating for a moment before wrapping his thin fingers around the handle of the bottle. Spock examined the bottle for a moment absentmindedly wondering whether or not he should empty some of the water into a smaller container before subjecting his roommate to such torture. _Cain has a somewhat unique tendency to brush off what the average person wouldn't. _Spock's mouth quirked in the corner slightly before the Vulcan uncapped the bottle. Bracing himself for the scream that would no doubt follow, Spock took aim and let go, pouring about half the bottles content onto the narrow bunk.

The moment the cold water hit his face, Cain vaulted up in bed with a ungodly scream. Spock instinctively jumped back causing his roommates furious gaze to settle on him. Sudden stillness settled over the room as the two stared at each other from separate corners like boxers across the ring for a moment before Spock straightened his shoulders and looked Cain straight in the eyes. "It is time to wake up." he stated simply. Cain stared at him incomprehensively, his eyes still wild with anger. Spock resisted the urge to shift from foot to foot. When Cain did not move to speak, Spock began to inch his way towards the door. Making it to the doorframe, Spock offered one last glance back at his roommate before closing the door behind him. _Somehow I believe that Cain will like to talk to me after classes today. _He thought. Ten minutes later when he was dressed and about to head out the door, he could still hear his roommate dressing, using words that would make a translator stutter. _Yes, I would imagine a long talk will definitely be imminent. _

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Spock's assumption proved to be correct for the moment he returned from his afternoon classes Cain was waiting for him, anger still smoldering in his eyes. "We need to talk." he said in a serious tone.

Spock froze in the doorway, his bag still hanging limply on his shoulder. _Perhaps I miscalculated this morning. _He thought, giving his roommate a weary look. Absentmindedly, Spock thought back to the day he signed the five page lease on this apartment, trying to remember whether or not physical alterations were one of the many grounds for automatic eviction. Meanwhile, Cain stared at him for a moment before inclining his head towards the kitchen by way of beckoning.. Without a decent excuse not to go, Spock followed obediently.

Cain led him to the kitchen table where two cups of steaming beverages sat on opposite sides of the table as if awaiting the meeting of two old friends instead of presiding over a small scale negotiation. Cain motioned Spock to take the seat farthest from the doorway with an almost practiced diplomacy. Cain motioned Spock to take the seat farthest from the doorway with an almost practiced diplomatic before plopping down in front of his own cup of coffee. Spock carefully skirted his seated roommate and cautiously approached the seat he was motioning to. Slipping carefully into it, Spock toyed with the idea of politely talking a sip of the cold tea sitting in front of him but quickly decided against it. Cain didn't seem to notice.

"I appreciate you waking me up this morning, Spock, but I must say when you said you would have no problem doing it, I hadn't pictured waking up in quite that manner." Cain commented in a steady voice.

Spock hesitated, now questioning the logical arguments he had used to justify his actions. Somehow with his fuming roommate sitting directly across from him, the reasons he had used to justify himself this morning didn't seem all that logical anymore. Instead he simply said. "I deduced that though that method of waking you was slightly unpleasant, it would be better tolerated then the alternative which would have been leaving you to endure the wrath of your instructors brought about by sleeping in." Spock explained in a calm even voice, hoping his tone would sooth the storm flashing right beneath the surface of his roommates cornflower blue eyes.

But his words only served to provoke him. Cain's eye's widened with his words and Spock thought that he even saw the corners of his roommates nose flair as if he was a bull preparing to charge. Cain's eyes turned icy before he spoke, "Better then the alternate. . .?" Cain muttered, spitting out each word like they left a foul taste in his mouth. "You mean with all your computer-like logic and massive mind, you could not come up with one other alternative to wake me besides dousing me with freezing cold water? Do you know what a terrible way to wake up that is?" He demanded, his voice rising with each word.

Spock just watched his rant like a child would watch an animal in a zoo for a few minutes before replying. "Probably just as bad as waking to the eardrum shattering sound of an alarm." He stated in an even voice. Cain froze in his tracks and spun around to look Spock in the eye.

Whatever he saw there stopped his rant right in his track. His shoulders slumped and he let out a long sigh that sounded like a balloon deflating. "Alright, I guess I deserved that one didn't I?" he stated simply. Lifting up his cup, he took a long drink of his coffee before speaking again. " So what now?" He asked in a calm voice.

Spock cocked his head slightly to the side. "What do you mean?"

"Well, we obviously can not use the alarm anymore and I really do not want to have another morning shower, so what we going to do now?"

Spock sat back to think, now carefully lifting the cup in front of him and taking a small sip of the cold tea. It tasted fine so he took another. "I suppose that I could find another way to wake you in the morning until we can find a solution that will suit us both." Spock stated simply. _I don't quite know what that solution will be but I have no choice but to try and find it. I rather avoid the alternative _

Cain nodded faintly, not seeming to be pleased with the solution but, lacking a better option, was forced to comply. "Promise you will not toss water at me again?" Cain questioned softly, resigned to his fate.

Spock nodded. "I will not resort to that method unless absolutely necessary."

"No, promise me you will never, under any circumstances, throw water on me again. I rather wake up late then wake up drenched."

Spock hesitated at his roommate's words. "I would caution you on forcing me to make promises that, under certain circumstances, you would not wish me to keep." He warned.

Cain merely held up a hand to silenced him. "No, I'm sure. I want you to promise me that you won't or I will just have to go back to using the alarm clock again." he threatened.

Spock's lips thinned to a straight line and he looked like, for a moment, he was going to call Cain's bluff, but he bit back whatever comment was spinning inside his mind and conceded.

"You have my word." he said. Cain nodded, satisfied and finished off his coffee. Excusing himself, he headed back to his room, looking extremely content with the solution they had arranged. Spock, on the other hand, remained behind, his mind unsettled. _Now, how am I going to be able to keep my promise to wake him on time without breaking my new promise of not using the simplest method to do so. _he thought idly swirling the last sip of tea around the bottom of the porcelain cup. After an hour of examining the problem, he still didn't have an answer. . .

***********************************************************************

Nor was he any closer the next morning when his eyes popped open on their own accord at their usual time of 4:45. This time Spock did not dottle in rising off the bed and slipping on his robe. He knew that if he was to succeed in his task of waking Cain up on time, he will need every possible second to do so. Slipping into the robe's velvet like material, Spock strode across the room, this time not hesitating before throwing open the door and entering the room. Cain was sprawled across the bed, arms and legs spread so wide that they dangled precariously over the ledge in all directions. To Spock, the boy resembled a bug that had hit a windshield or maybe smashed by a flyswatter rather then someone who was sleeping.

Ignoring the spectacle with some effort, Spock busied himself once again with the task of finding some tool with which to wake Cain. He completely skipped over shaking the boy, knowing that it would do no good. Scanning the room, he found several possible solutions. The most promising involved the dusty abused lamp sitting among the abandoned pizza crusts on his roommate's nightstand. Hoping that by shining the bright light in his roommate's eyes, this would somehow pull the young boy out of his coma like state, Spock grabbed the lamps plug and headed towards the wall. Thought this option seemed the 'safest' of the others, he doubted that, with Cain's history of heavy sleeping, that it would be effecting. Still, Spock went over to the lamp and plugged it in. The bulb came to life with a stuttering hum of electricity, throwing off a dim orange light. Spock looked at it with a mixture of aspiration and amusement. The small ring of light that fluttered in the dusty light ball bulb would not even power the most sensitive solar calculator let alone wake his roommate.

_Another setback, _Spock thought wearily as he reached out to yank the plug out of the wall. When his fingers brushed against the black extension cord, he yelped as a flash of red hot pain shot through his fingers and sizzled up the nerve fibers of his back. Instinctively, he yanked his hand away, sticking his burnt fingers into his mouth and glared at the wire before his mind could register the illogic of the action. Realizing himself. Spock removed the fingers from his mouth and glanced down at the tips to see if the shock had burnt him. His fingers were fine, stiff from the alien jolt but fine. Must be a short in the wire. He mused, shaking his damaged hand. That was painful. _Why would Cain keep that lamp if he knew it was shorted, _Spock could not even compute how much of a fire hazard that thing was.

Suddenly, a particular devious thought popped into Spock's head. Spock looked at the faulty wire and then at his roommate. _I doubt he would approve of such methods_. He thought. But then again, it seems the only methods that worked to wake his comatose roommate were the methods one would never have to resort to with a normal person. Spock glanced at the clock and found, to his surprise (A.N no, I don't consider that to be an emotion.) a half an hour had past. Under normal circumstances Spock would never do what his mother decided to do at that moment, but he was running late and his window of opportunity was shrinking. This was compounded by the fact that his roommates carelessness had caused him to burn his fingers, thought he would never admit that this had been a factor in his decision. All these factors sealed Cain's fate. _It wont hurt him too much. _Spock mused. _But it will most definitely wake him. _

Stepping back, Spock scanned the room to try and locate something he could use to insulate his hands with. Seeing what looked like a pair of rubber cleaning gloves, he slipped them on as insulation. _I will just touch his hand to it. Just for a second. That should be sufficient. _Spock carefully reached out to clasp on to his roommates wrists and lifted it, pausing momentarily, half expecting his roommate to wake. Cain did not even bat an eyelid. Spock backed up, lengthening the distance between Cain and himself before dropping his roommate's hand directly on the live wire.

Cain's eyes flew open and he let out an ungodly yell, yanking his hand away from the wire. Spock flinched, resisting the urge to clasp his hand against his ears to block out the racket. _He is over exaggerating. It did not hurt that bad. _He thought as he watched the spectacle with detached fascination.

Cain, meanwhile, cradled his injured fingers in his hand and sat straight up. His eyes were so wide with surprise and a tinge of fear that he reminded Spock of photos he had seen of a now extinct creature that use to dwell on earth called an owl. Cain scanned the room for a moment as he tried to untangle his mind from both the foggy mist of sleep and the thorny briers of pain. Spock waited patiently for the yelling to begin. Cain blinked dumbly at him. "You. . . You just shocked me?" he asked his voice slow and hollow.

"Yes, good morning." Spock replied cautiously.

His roommate blinked again and shook his head slightly. "You just shocked me." he whispered again, looking down at his wounded hand. Suddenly a spark of realization dawned in his eyes, turning them to steel. He fixed them on Spock. "You just shocked me!" he said for a third time.

"Yes, I think that we have established that fact." Spock said as he began to make a slow but tactful retreat towards the doorway. "As you can see you only have an half an hour to prepare for your classes so I will leave in order to permit you to prepare."

Suddenly, anger, hot and blazing, filled Cain's eyes just as Spock was preparing to spin around and perform a hasty retreat. The look froze Spock in his tracks. For a moment, he just stared at his roommate with the same look a ninja might give a crouching opponent, a mixture of caution and weariness. Cain rose out of bed in a strangely graceful and calm manner which Spock found slightly disturbing. The two just stared at each other for a moment before Cain blew. "WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING!!!." he bellowed, glaring at Spock expectantly.

Spock held his ground. " I believe I just woke you up for your classes." he stated he stated evenly, his hands clasped neatly behind his back.

"You electrocuted me." Cain responded, his voice loud and shrill.

Spock wavered, taking a step back in order to better brace himself in case Cain decided to throw himself at him. "And it worked. Quite efficiently."

Cain just stared at him for a moment causing Spock to wonder if his roommate was about to snap and murder him right in the middle of the room. Then to Spock's ultimate surprise, Cain burst into laughter. Not the hysterical uncontrollable laughter that precludes insanity but the good natured amused chuckling he would, on rare occasions hear from his mother when ever he or his father did something that struck her as particularly ridiculous. Cain laughed for a good while till tears started to run down his face before he managed to calm down. "Yes, Yes, I suppose it did. I would just love to hear the train of logic that deduced that electrocuting me was a good idea." Cain said in a gasping voice before bursting into laughter once more. Spock stood there unsure of what response he should give to that . Cain's mood had swung from furious to amused so quickly that Spock was hesitant to speak least he aggravate him again.

When Cain finally managed to calm himself down, he faced Spock and said, "You know what, for being a member of the stuffiest, tightlipped, boring races in the universe you sure are quite a character. That shock hurt like a son of a bitch." he commented again examining his fingers like he expected blisters to have suddenly rose up on his fingers. Spock stiffened visible drawing himself up from his slouched stance. "As uncharacterized of a solution it was. . ."

Cain held up his hand to silence him. "Never mind Spock, I meant nothing by it. I might just allow you to keep doing this just to see what you will do next." He stated with amusement . Then as if he thought better of it, Cain reached out to open up the drawer beside the bed. Pulling out a piece of thick fabric, He wrapped it around his fingers before reaching over and quickly yanking the plug free from its socket. I think I'll get rid of this though. I'll tell you one thing, this is definitely going to be an interesting week."

**********************************************************************

And it was for Spock at least. For Cain, the week could have been called torture. On Wednesday, Spock awoke him with a loud thunderous shot of music that should have woken the dead. As a result his ears rang so loud that he had not heard his tactics teacher call his name during a discussion which automatically volunteered him for a demonstration of a battle on epsilon 7 where a landing party of Starfleet officers escaped enemy capture thanks to a local group of head hunting pigmies. He was the Klingon. On Thursday, Cain learned two very important lessons. One is that Vulcan's are exceedingly strong. Strong enough in fact to flip a box spring mattress over effortlessly even while its occupied. The second was no matter if you sleep in a separate room from your roommate you should never sleep naked. On Friday he learned that even when you locked your door, someone can still gain entrance by taking the door off the hinges. Cain hadn't meant to lock Spock out but he definitely learned a lesson in remembrance when a heavy oak door was dropped against the floor boards a mere half a foot from his ear. He could not remember ever leaping out of bed so fast. Still by the time he turned around, Spock was gone. Somehow Cain did not want to chance another encounter anyway.

************************************************************************

Spock sighed when his eyes popped open at there usual time of 4:45 Monday morning. This time he hesitated before slipping out of bed and dawning his robe. He was in no hurry to go about his task of waking Cain. He had not seen his roommate all weekend which in and of itself was not unusual, but this means that Spock had not had an opportunity to apologize for his actions on Friday which now seemed both illogical and mean spirited. After all his roommate hadn't meant to lock him out even though after the events on Thursday, another incident that really need not have occurred. Cain would have had ever excuse to. Since Spock was neither a spiteful or mean-spirited person, an apology seemed necessary.

Sighing again, Spock forced himself towards his roommate's room. No need to worsen the situation by waking him up to late. He thought turning the corner only to stop in his tracks. Spock stated at the thin beam of light that omitted from beneath his roommate's door with confusion. Could it be that Cain has a visitor? Cautiously, Spock crept forward to tap on the door.

"Come in." his roommates voice beckoned from within.

Spock turned the knob and peeked inside, half expecting to see his roommate and a female cuddling their goodbyes in the middle of the room.

"Good morning, Spock." His roommate greeted while stuffing a few textbooks into his bloated book bag. Cain was already dressed in the crimson uniform and looked ready for the day despite the fact that he was alone.

"Good morning Cain, Your up early." Spock commented slipping inside. _I couldn't have missed his alarm. _Spock thought. _How did he wake up this morning?_

Cain's face broke into a wide grin. "I was hopping you would ask that question. Walla." He said gesturing to his nightstand.

Spock stared down at the assorted pile of junk that usually littered his roomates nightstand and frowned. "I do not understand."

"Oh that's ok. It small. You might not have noticed. Look at the new clock. Look closely."

Spock turned his attention to the item mentioned. Now that Cain mentioned it. The clock did look different from the one he had had before. Smaller sleeker, but nothing noticeable different. It wasn't until closer examination did Spock notice the small slit that the transmittance chip was fastened. Turning to face Cain, he saw the boy's hand was outstretched containing two tiny ear buds.

"Specially tuned to these babies. Buds are comfortable and customized. Fit like a glove. Had to go half way across the continent to get them made but its worth it. Can hear the alarm clear as a bell. Its only got to ring five times now. Big improvement right." Cain said with a satisfied smile.

Spock nodded. Secretly, he was immensely relieved that the ordeal was over. Once again technology had provided an answer. With a face made of stone, he turned towards Cain and in a tone of complete seriousness he said, "I assume this means you will no longer need me to wake you in the morning?" He questioned.

Cain chuckled. "No, I don't need you. Sorry buddy, but I have learned a very valuables lesson that I don't care to repeat."

Spock looked up. "Oh, what is that?"

Cain smiled. "Vulcan's don't have snooze buttons. Come on, I'll make us some coffee. . . Well in your case tea, right?"

"Yes, I would be." Spock said a smirk tugging furtively at his lips. _Snooze buttons? No, no we don't._

_(_A.N. Ah, done finally. Might not seem like it but this took me two months to write so I apologize if it got a little dodgy towards the end. Writing a story is like having a child. You are forced to love it but sometimes you just feel like pinning a twenty to its chest and putting it on a bus telling it good luck. And towards the end I was leaning towards the later. As to what to expect from me next. NO CLUE. Lol but I will think of something. Please please please review.)


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